Whose Responsibility is it?

In 1997, Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gengrich, gave his advice to the newly elected members: "If you want to be a player, ''you've got to vote with the Party."  He was not the first to say that, and he will not be the last.

 Unfortunately, that is exactly what George Washington feared.  He warned that political parties could destroy the young republic, if  instead of citizens working together for the public good, parties would divide them, creating chaos and anomality among the people.  Going in that direction, the nation would be weakened, and those seeking power could use their weakness to assume power.  Washington warned: beware Cunning, ambitions, unprincipled old men.  My only correction of his quote is that those he feared do not have to be old nor men!

Does that mean that our population has outgrown the ability to function?  We rarely know those running for election personally.  What candidates say on television has probably been drafted by professionals.  Are we left with nothing better than voting by party rather than the individuals.

Last night I visited with a candidate running for office.  He is obviously a well-trained speaker, and that was impressive, but I was more impressed when he said that he would not always vote as the party wished.  I have blogged before about research determining large amounts of outright lying by those running for and in office. Last night the candidate did not sound like a liar.   

I have had the privilege of speaking directly with an important person in a high office, and I am confident that he sometimes has voted against his principles.  Is it impossible to remain in office ethically? If so, Washington's fear has come true.

However, the truth is that we need political parties. Voters are not in a position to personally know the experience and ethics of every person on the ballot.  Then how can we stop the power of well-funded, political parties taking over?  Third parties have not fared well, but maybe the time has been reached that voters are becoming discussed with the 2-party system.  More importantly, we voters need to do our homework.  We need to show up at rallies not to just cheer for the well-coached candidates but rather to come equipped with well-prepared questions, and if the candidates ignore our questions, or give non-answer-answers, press them for a real answer or look elsewhere to find candidates willing to answer questions.  

Our Constitution is truly under threat.  We have a responsibility to show our children how it is supposed to work, not only just with candidates but also with those in office.  Let them know that their responsibility is to the constitution more than to any person or political party.